China has sent 50 tonnes of emergency relief supplies to Nepal to support rescue and relief efforts following the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems.

Two Y-20 large transport aircraft of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at around 7am on Sunday carrying 13,200 items of emergency relief supplies, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.

The supplies include tents, blankets, sleeping bags, hard tack and first-aid kits.

The aircraft took off from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and reached Kathmandu after a flight of about three hours.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming and Nepal’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Mahabir Pun attended a handover ceremony for the relief supplies at the airport.

According to the Chinese Embassy, at the request of the Nepali government, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management urgently dispatched five tunnel experts to Nepal on Saturday.

The experts flew by helicopter from Kerung near the Chinese border to the disaster-hit areas in Nepal. They immediately joined the tunnel rescue operation at a hydropower station, the embassy stated.

In response to the needs of the rescue operation, another four Chinese tunnel experts will be urgently dispatched to Nepal soon, said the embassy.